One Piece: A Complete List of Luffy’s Gears Explained

A quarter of a century has passed since Eiichiro Oda released the One Piece manga. Since the debut of the series, Monkey D. Luffy, the protagonist, has won our hearts with his quirkiness and rubbery powers. He possesses many talents and skills, which he has honed throughout the story. But Luffy’s Gears are the most potent and well-liked of all his rubbery skills. So, if you want to learn more about all of Luffy’s gears, from Gear 1 to Gear 5, go through this guide discussing Luffy’s devil fruit powers.

Spoiler Warning: This article contains spoilers about Luffy’s devil fruit his gears. We suggest you watch the anime and read the manga first to avoid ruining your experience.

Luffy’s Devil Fruit In One Piece Explained

Before we look at the various gear techniques, it’s important to know where Luffy gets his powers from in One Piece. When he was 7, Luffy inadvertently ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi fruit (Gum-Gum devil fruit) being transported by Shanks, the legendary red-haired pirate.

The Gum-Gum fruit is a paramecia-type devil fruit that gave Luffy’s body rubbery properties. With his devil fruit powers, Luffy can manipulate his body into various forms, which he calls Gears. The protagonist has unlocked five gear forms so far, and his fifth gear is known to be his peak form. He was able to unlock Gear 5 after awakening his devil fruit.

Furthermore, Luffy has mastered all three forms of haki in One Piece and awakened his devil fruit powers too. But, I’m sorry to say that Oda sensei deceived us from the start, Luffy’s devil is actually not Gomu Gomu no Mi.

In One Piece chapter 1069, it was confirmed by Dr.Vegapunk that there is no such fruit as Gomu Gomu no Mi as there is no mention of that devil fruit, even in the oldest books and encyclopedia of devil fruits. Instead, the name of Luffy’s devil fruit was revealed to be “Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika,” and we were tricked into thinking that it was Gomu Gomu no Mi all this time by the World Government and Oda.

Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika is a Mythical Zoan devil fruit that allows Luffy to transform into the Sun Fod Nika and get a huge boost to his powers. This happened after Luffy awakened his devil fruit during his final battle with Kaidou and became the “Warrior of Liberation”. After unlocking Gear 5, Luffy’s devil fruit is one of the strongest devil fruit in One Piece‘s existence.

All of Luffy’s Gears in One Piece

Luffy used his devil fruit powers to create various Gear techniques to fight powerful opponents. He was also able to master all these forms and minimize their after-effects. We have compiled a list of all of Luffy’s gear techniques along with the powers, advantages, and disadvantages of each.

Luffy Gear 1 (Base Version)

• Debut: Manga Chapter 1, Anime Episode 1

Technically speaking, Luffy doesn’t have a gear technique called Gear 1. There is no mention of Gear 1 in the story. Luffy’s base form, the rubbery body he utilizes regularly, can be considered Gear 1.

The attacks Luffy uses in his base forms start with “Gomu Gomu no…,” such as Gomu Gomu no Pistol, where he pulls his stretchy arms back and forces himself forward to hit the opponent. All of Luffy’s base form attacks involve him stretching his hands or legs to strike.

His defensive abilities come naturally to him. Normal bullets can’t pierce through him, but the ones coated with haki can damage him. It is estimated that Luffy has over 90 attacks in his Gear 1 base form. He can also coat his attacking body parts with haki to amplify the effectiveness of his powers.

Advantages

• The rubbery body allows Luffy to use a wide variety of attacks as they are only limited by his imagination.
• His body also enables a natural defense, especially against lightning and other things.

Disadvantages

• It takes some time for Luffy to stretch his body parts which leaves him vulnerable for a short period before attacking. All of Luffy’s opponents exploited this weakness in the earlier parts of the story.

Luffy Gear 2

• Debut: Manga Chapter 387, Anime Episode 272

Luffy first used Gear 2 in the Enies Lobby arc, which is one of the best arcs in One Piece. Luffy was seen using this form in his fight against Blueno. Since it was the first official Gear form, it is extra special for fans and is easily one of the best gears we have seen.

The hero first pumps his blood faster throughout his body to amplify the speed and strength of his attacks. This form gave Luffy’s first breakthrough in becoming a more powerful character. The blood pumping resulted in Luffy’s skin turning red (and pinkish) and letting out steam, which made Gear 2 look even more badass on screen. Thanks to this transformation, he obliterated poor Blueno and marked a major milestone for Luffy.

Initially, Luffy pumps blood through his legs in Gear 2, but he can do it flawlessly in numerous ways after the time skip. He can even activate it only in selected parts of his body now. Similar to his base form, Luffy says “Gomu Gomu no Jet …” before he launches a Gear 2 attack. For example, Gomu Gomu no Jet pistol.

Furthermore, Luffy created a more powerful attack by combining his second Gear with armament haki, called the Red Hawk. Using this attack, he punches his opponent with godly pace and force, which causes friction against the air and ignites the punch. As a result, his punch is surrounded by red flames, hence, the name. It also served as a tribute to his brother Fire-fist Ace.

Advantages

• He can become faster and more powerful within a short period.
• He can also infuse his jet attacks with haki to make them more powerful.

Disadvantages

• The sudden increase in metabolism makes him hungrier and can even paralyze him if used for prolonged times.
• At first, it was said that this Gear form could reduce his lifespan. However, Luffy managed to diminish these side effects after the time skip.

Luffy Gear 3

• Debut: Manga Chapter 403, Anime Episode 288

The fans were treated with back-to-back new Gears techniques during the Ennies Lobby arc. We saw Luffy first mention Gear 3 in episode 288, but it was only shown later in full effect in episode 305.

Luffy first uses Gear 3 in his battle against Rob Lucci, an ex-CP9 member. Luffy corks his thumb in his mouth and bites it to make a small opening. Then, he blows air so hard that it inflates his arm to a gigantic size. Like Gear 2, he can also use Gear 3 in select body parts.

This form allows Luffy to generate huge attacks as he has a bigger size this time. But there’s a catch as Luffy sacrifices his mobility for more power. Luffy’s Gear 3 attacks start with “Gomu Gomu no Gigant…,” and he can also coat his limbs with haki to produce attacks like Gomu Gomu no Gigant Rifle. Luffy can create a plethora of attacks based on a combination of artillery and animal themes, each powerful and unique in its own way.

The Armament haki-coated body parts also increased his defensive powers as evident in his fight with Fujitora. He uses it to shield his body from his incoming attacks. After the time skip, Luffy is able to better control his Gear 3 form and has mastered it. Also, Luffy is now able to eliminate the shrinking effect.

Advantages

• Luffy can create stronger attacks with his increased mass and size.
• It also gives Luffy a way to use the third form in his defensive duties.
• When coated with haki, it further increased his powers.

Disadvantages

• During his early usage, Gear 3 shrunk him into a kid, leaving him completely vulnerable.
• Luffy’s mobility is hindered when using this form.

Luffy Gear 4

Some of the arcs in One Piece are remembered by fans because of the Gear transformations from Luffy. That’s the case with the Dressrosa arc, which brings us our first look at Luffy’s Gear 4 form. He first invoked Gear 4 in his fight against Donquixote Doflamingo, one of the best villains in One Piece.

This form was a byproduct of his two-year-long training at Rusukaina island with Silvers Rayleigh, one of the key members of the Roger Pirates. This is a major upgrade over the third gear where he blows air into his arms inflates his entire body and enhances his muscles. Luffy then coats his body parts with armament haki, which appear reddish black as they’re hardened. He also lets out steam, similar to Gear 2.

This massive upgrade boosts Luffy’s attack and defensive powers to a great extent and gives birth to different forms. Luffy has three sub-forms for Gear 4 and selects one depending on the situation. So, let’s look at all of Luffy’s Gear 4 forms in detail:

1. Boundman

• Debut: Manga Chapter 784, Anime Episode 726

The first sub-form of Luffy’s Gear 4 form is called Boundman/Bounceman. In this form, Luffy constantly bounces off the surface. He has an enlarged body with his torso, arms, and legs coated with armament haki, as mentioned earlier.

Furthermore, he can retract his arms and legs inside his body, allowing him to release high-speed brutal attacks with much more power. He can also use haki-coated body parts for defense, as most of the attacks end up bouncing off his body. Luffy did his famous python attack flawlessly against Doflamingo, Katakuri, and more opponents in this form.

2. Tankman

• Debut: Manga Chapter 842, Anime Episode 806

The second sub-form of Luffy’s fourth gear is called Tankman. It was seen in battle only once, and it was against Charlotte Cracker, one of the three Sweet Commanders of the Big Mom Pirates in the Whole Cake Island arc (see One Piece arcs list).

When Luffy ate tons of Nami’s biscuits, he grew a lot bigger and then used Gear 4, which resulted in him becoming an inflated tank. This form is preferred when there is a massive need for defense, as it has amazing defensive capabilities. Luffy used this against Charlotte to take an incredible amount of damage and ended up knocking him out with his Gomu Gomu no Cannonball attack.

3. Snakeman

• Debut: Manga Chapter 895, Anime Episode 870

The third sub-form of Luffy’s Gear 4 is called Snakeman. It is seen first in action during his battle against Charlotte Katakuri, another Sweet Commander of the Big Mom Pirates. Luffy looks slender in this form when compared to the other two Gear 4 forms. The armament haki is concentrated only on selected parts like his forearms, legs, and torso.

Snakeman allowed Luffy to land the fastest attacks as this form boosted his agility in battle. But he had to sacrifice his defensive capabilities, which were the highlights of the other two Gear 4 sub-forms.

Luffy can even change the direction of his attacks at any time in this form, as seen in the Boundman form as well. This attack was befittingly titled Python by Luffy and gave him more freedom to attack from every possible direction and to counter Katakuri’s observation haki.

Advantages

• The Boundman form gave Luffy more stability to balance his attacking and defensive duties.
• The Tankman form made Luffy into an indestructible tank allowing him to take a great amount of damage.
• The Snakeman form allowed Luffy to attack a lot faster and change the direction of his attacks.
• The Gear 4 gave Luffy another breakthrough in his powers as it greatly increased his attack and defensive capabilities.

Disadvantages

• Over-powered haki users can easily break the defense of Luffy’s boundman and tankman forms. For example, Kaidou destroyed Luffy’s Gear 4 forms in the Wano arc.
• Luffy’s Snakeman form heavily lacks defensive abilities and Katakuri exploited this to deal tons of damage to Luffy.
• Luffy won’t be able to use haki again for 10 minutes after using gear fourth. His body suffers greatly as a result of using the fourth gear, but he overcame the effects over time.

Luffy Gear 5

• Debut: Manga Chapter 1044, Anime Episode 1071

The most unexpected and hyped gear technique in Luffy’s arsenal is now Gear 5. It took a long time for the fans to witness it but the wait was worth every minute, as we finally got to see Luffy’s Gear 5 technique in action.

Luffy’s Gear 5 was first shown during the climax of the Wano Country arc in his final battle with Kaido on the rooftop of Onigashima (find out the episode where Luffy uses Gear 5). Luffy created his new Gear technique by awakening his devil fruit. He transforms into the sun god Nika, revealing the true powers of his devil fruit and attaining his peak form.

With this technique, not only does his powers level up, but Luffy’s appearance also receives a major upgrade with his clothes, hair, eyebrows, and other items turning white. His eyes have a red shine in his peak form.

Furthermore, Luffy bends reality with his upgraded Gear 5 powers in this form. Like the toon force power, he has complete freedom to do anything according to his imagination as he can freely change the shape and size of his body and use all types of haki. He also inspired Bonney to unleash her free form and transform into Joy Girl in the Egghead arc.

Advantages

• Luffy’s fifth gear gave him the biggest power upgrade he has ever had until now
• Currently, it is the best and peak form of Luffy’s powers and he can do anything
• He can easily use other gears in a faster way
• He can infuse any basic and advanced forms of haki at the same time
• He can create more devastating attacks which are limited only by his imagination
• The rubber properties of his body help vastly in defense
• He can alter the surroundings and environment around him

Disadvantages

• It uses a lot of Luffy’s energy and leaves him completely drained out (due to inexperience).

As you can see Luffy’s Gear 5 is considered to be the pinnacle of his powers. Now, maybe he can add a couple of distinct sub-forms to Gear 5, like he did with Gear 4, to level it up further. We are highly doubtful that Luffy will come up with Gear 6 in One Piece. But, as the final great war is approaching, Luffy can take on a new gear form if Oda has one in mind in the future.

That’s all you need to know about Luffy’s Gears in One Piece right now. We hope we explained each gear in Luffy’s arsenal clearly and concisely. We have also mentioned the powers and abilities of the latest Gear 5 technique here. That said, which is your favorite Luffy gear technique and why? Let us know in the comments below.